Instagram looks to boost marketing offerings with Shopping feature

The photo-sharing app is catering to retailers by testing a tool that will enable users to shop directly from photos.

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The Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform is rolling out a new product to 20 select brands that will enable users to click on products featured in organic photos (not promoted posts).

The photos will look similar to others on Instagram, but there will be a “Tap to View Products” tab at the bottom. Once you tap the photo, you can see what are essentially digital price tags. Click on the product tag, and you’re taken to the retailer’s site where you can view and purchase the product.

Before this feature (and Instagram ads) became available, buying anything from an Instagram post was a pain. You had to back out of the app, Google the product’s name and hope to find it. There was no way for marketers to know if Instagram posts inspired purchases.

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